"My child went to preschool at 18 months – it's good to start early"
"I think I'll wait till she turns 2, she's so young"
"What is playschool? Let him play at home, why do you need a school to play?"
"Why is 3 years is too late? In our time we started school at 5 yrs and we turned out fine"
Let's face it, when it comes to preschool education, there are as many viewpoints as there are parents. But as a parent, only you know your child the best and therefore your point of view is the only one that matters.
We have already covered ‘How to Choose a Playschool' in our Parenting Stop section. Click here for another look and a quick run through on why pre-schooling is important and some practical tips on how to go about it. In this article, we will focus on the starting age and what schools expect from parents seeking admission. To get the expert standpoint, we spoke with Ankita Anand, Director Anand Preschool, one of the leading preschools in Gurgaon.
When to start
"The decision of when to send the child to preschool lies entirely with the parents. They need to consider all aspects about their child and family situation to determine if there is a need to send the child to school before 2. After that, one of the most important deciding factors is the immunity level of the child," explains Ankita. "Though schools maintain high cleanliness and hygiene standards, this is most likely the first time that your child will be exposed to so many other children, adults and an environment other than home. Don't hesitate to wait a few months longer if you feel your child is more susceptible to infections".
The home situation matters too - whether both parents are working or mummy stays at home, if it is a joint family or nuclear. If both parents are working, the child may already be used to being on his own and may settle into school earlier.
What is the admission schedule of preschools?
Most preschools admit children round the year as and when they meet the age requirement, while some follow a term-wise admission schedule. On the whole, maximum new admissions take place in April, as that is when the older batches ‘graduate' to big school. Once you have shortlisted some schools, find out their individual admission policy and apply accordingly. If you know seats are limited in your school of choice, register yourself with them at least 6 months to a year in advance.
What preschools want from parents
Be realistic about your objectives: Start by understanding the purpose of preschools - to provide an environment for children to discover and explore freely within the various areas of development, as a supplement to learning at home. Now accepted as being the necessary first steps for their academic journey, preschools also introduce important social skills -- learning how to follow directions, interact with others, work in a group or part of a team and to relate to grownups who aren't their parents.
"Parents need to be very clear about what they want out of the preschool. Is their priority learning, or social interaction, a mix of the two or something entirely different? If the objective is only admission to a certain big school, that distorts the purpose entirely since preschools cannot guarantee or control admissions to big school," says Ankita.
Be prepared and ask questions: Do your homework and find out as much about the school beforehand as possible. Speak to friends and neighbours, get feedback from parents of children who have been to that school, check reviews on the internet – but use all this information to draw up a list of your own questions, specific to your child. When you visit the school, observe everything around you - the building, staff, ambience and the little details that make one school appeal to you better than another.
Ankita Anand emphasizes the importance of questions from parents - "Ask us as many questions as you need to about anything you've seen while visiting our school or any feedback – negative or positive you've heard about us. We want parents to grill us about our vision and our methodology, as it may be different from others. It is important for parents to be convinced and comfortable with our approach to learning so that the experience of 2 years is enriching for both sides".
Whatever age your child starts school, it is more critical that he or she is happy there and enjoys the first exposure to the long journey of learning. So be prepared, be aware and your search for the most appropriate preschool will not seem overwhelming at all!
"I think I'll wait till she turns 2, she's so young"
"What is playschool? Let him play at home, why do you need a school to play?"
"Why is 3 years is too late? In our time we started school at 5 yrs and we turned out fine"
Let's face it, when it comes to preschool education, there are as many viewpoints as there are parents. But as a parent, only you know your child the best and therefore your point of view is the only one that matters.
We have already covered ‘How to Choose a Playschool' in our Parenting Stop section. Click here for another look and a quick run through on why pre-schooling is important and some practical tips on how to go about it. In this article, we will focus on the starting age and what schools expect from parents seeking admission. To get the expert standpoint, we spoke with Ankita Anand, Director Anand Preschool, one of the leading preschools in Gurgaon.
When to start
"The decision of when to send the child to preschool lies entirely with the parents. They need to consider all aspects about their child and family situation to determine if there is a need to send the child to school before 2. After that, one of the most important deciding factors is the immunity level of the child," explains Ankita. "Though schools maintain high cleanliness and hygiene standards, this is most likely the first time that your child will be exposed to so many other children, adults and an environment other than home. Don't hesitate to wait a few months longer if you feel your child is more susceptible to infections".
The home situation matters too - whether both parents are working or mummy stays at home, if it is a joint family or nuclear. If both parents are working, the child may already be used to being on his own and may settle into school earlier.
What is the admission schedule of preschools?
Most preschools admit children round the year as and when they meet the age requirement, while some follow a term-wise admission schedule. On the whole, maximum new admissions take place in April, as that is when the older batches ‘graduate' to big school. Once you have shortlisted some schools, find out their individual admission policy and apply accordingly. If you know seats are limited in your school of choice, register yourself with them at least 6 months to a year in advance.
What preschools want from parents
Be realistic about your objectives: Start by understanding the purpose of preschools - to provide an environment for children to discover and explore freely within the various areas of development, as a supplement to learning at home. Now accepted as being the necessary first steps for their academic journey, preschools also introduce important social skills -- learning how to follow directions, interact with others, work in a group or part of a team and to relate to grownups who aren't their parents.
"Parents need to be very clear about what they want out of the preschool. Is their priority learning, or social interaction, a mix of the two or something entirely different? If the objective is only admission to a certain big school, that distorts the purpose entirely since preschools cannot guarantee or control admissions to big school," says Ankita.
Be prepared and ask questions: Do your homework and find out as much about the school beforehand as possible. Speak to friends and neighbours, get feedback from parents of children who have been to that school, check reviews on the internet – but use all this information to draw up a list of your own questions, specific to your child. When you visit the school, observe everything around you - the building, staff, ambience and the little details that make one school appeal to you better than another.
Ankita Anand emphasizes the importance of questions from parents - "Ask us as many questions as you need to about anything you've seen while visiting our school or any feedback – negative or positive you've heard about us. We want parents to grill us about our vision and our methodology, as it may be different from others. It is important for parents to be convinced and comfortable with our approach to learning so that the experience of 2 years is enriching for both sides".
Whatever age your child starts school, it is more critical that he or she is happy there and enjoys the first exposure to the long journey of learning. So be prepared, be aware and your search for the most appropriate preschool will not seem overwhelming at all!
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